| Place | Europe: Belgium, Flanders, West-Vlaanderen, Ypres, Menin Road, Zillebeke |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | RELAWM17383.002 |
| Collection type | Heraldry |
| Object type | Heraldry |
| Physical description | Bronze |
| Place made | United Kingdom: England, Greater London, London |
| Date made | c 1921 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
Next of kin plaque: Private William Yole, 18th Battalion, AIF
Description
Bronze next of kin plaque, showing on the obverse, Britannia holding a laurel wreath, the British lion, dolphins, a spray of oak leaves and the words 'HE DIED FOR FREEDOM AND HONOUR' around the edge. Beneath the main figures, the British lion defeats the German eagle. The initials 'ECP', for the designer Edward Carter Preston appear above the lion's right forepaw. A raised rectangle above the lion's head bears the name 'WIILIAM YOLE'.
History / Summary
Born in Malmsbury, Victoria in 1893, William Yole was employed as a labourer when he enlisted in the AIF on 7 July 1915. After initial training he was posted a private, service number 2220, to the 4th Reinforcements for the 18th Battalion. The unit left Sydney on 30 September aboard HMAT A8 Argyllshire. Yole was taken on strength of his battalion in Egypt, on 10 January 1916, when he joined C Company.
The 18th Battalion moved to France for service on the Western Front on 16 March. Yole was one of three officers and 73 other ranks who volunteered to take part in a night time trench raid near Bois Grenier, France on the night of 26-27 June. The men had trained together since 16 June and based their plan of attack on aerial reconnaissance photographs and a trench model of the site to be attacked, which was constructed for them by Australian engineers. The raid itself, which was deemed a success, took nine and a half minutes. During this time Yole was wounded in the right shoulder, arm and thigh. He was evacuated to hospital but was able to rejoin his unit on 6 August.
On 24 September Yole volunteered for another trench raid which took place near Cross Trench at Zillebeke in Belgium. He was killed during the attack. His body was not recovered for burial in a war cemetery until early 1929, when his remains were identified by his identity disc. He was interred in the Sanctuary Wood Cemetery.
This commemorative plaque was sent to Yole's eldest sister, Mrs Minnie Mary Clark, in April 1922. He had nominated his mother, Elizabeth, as his next of kin but she had died in 1919.